Overview

• About 83 youths took part in exercises that included a route march along the River Don with running, crawling and wading while carrying weapons.
• Participants reported throwing hand grenades and firing dummy rounds, and both boys and girls were seen handling rifles or convincing replicas.
• The training was overseen by instructors and war veterans who have fought in Ukraine, according to the reporting.
• Students from the Don Cossack Cadet School of the Emperor Alexander III and members of the Cossack community were among those involved.
• Critics called the program propaganda and indoctrination tied to the war in Ukraine, while an instructor described it as healthy patriotism and educational.